


A Supermega Thanksgiving: Cryptid Edition!

by unsaved_misc



Series: cryptid au [4]
Category: Video Blogging RPF, supermega
Genre: Baking, Cooking, Fairy! Isabella, Ghost Seer! Carson, Incubus! Harrison, Multi, Stone Angel! Annabel, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner, Vampire! Matt, Werewolf! Ryan, Witch! Jackie, Witch! Jackson, Witch! Matt, basically just ...heartwarming stuff, cryptid AU, fluffy stuff, wow thats a lot of tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:35:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsaved_misc/pseuds/unsaved_misc
Summary: basically just thanksgiving! :)
Relationships: Carson Tucker/Matt Watson, Ryan Magee/Jackson Tucker
Series: cryptid au [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950115
Kudos: 3





	A Supermega Thanksgiving: Cryptid Edition!

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAA I SPENT SO LONG ON THIS I HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!

matt didn’t expect to wake up on this chilly, november morning to jackson clambering on his bed in a set of tiki pajamas, straddling him and shaking him until he opened his eyes. still drowsy from sleep, matt rubbed at his eyes and groaned unnecessarily loudly, attempting to roll away from jackson.

“dude, what the hell…” he mumbled, slurring his words and still trying to blink his sleep away. jackson was gripping matt’s shoulders and shaking him a little more, eager and excited with a spark in his eyes.

“matt, c’mon! it’s an important day!” his voice almost cracks with the amount of joy he’s expressing, and even though matt would normally be happy for him, he kinda wants to punch jackson in the throat.

“whenever you say that, something  _ horrible _ happens.” matt stared up at him with contempt, suddenly feeling very chilly and exposed with the sheets strewn off his bare chest. he pulled them further around himself, yanking them from where they were underneath jackson’s legs.

“not  _ all _ the time. just when anything supernatural is involved. and today, that’s not the case.” he tapped matt’s nose, making the man scrunch up his face. 

“and why’s that?” matt asked, swatting jackson away. jackson cocked his head.

“you seriously don’t know what day it is?” his voice was genuine. matt shook his head.

“jackson, i’m half dead. i can’t even tell the time.” 

“right. well, i’ll have you know that it’s thanksgiving!” jackson threw up some jazz hands with a grin, attempting to give his sentence some pizazz. matt couldn’t help but smile back, even if he was tired; jackson’s happiness was usually infectious. 

“oh. shit. i always forget about thanksgiving.” it had never been the biggest holiday for matt, seeing as he didn’t interact with his family anymore. for the time that he lived with jackie and jackson, the holiday had never been particularly important either, so matt wondered why jackson was taking it so seriously this year.

“i usually do too. but, after the year  _ we’ve  _ had?” jackson raises his eyebrows, and matt can count a multitude of things on his fingers. getting staked twice, carson starting to see ghosts, a demon suddenly sticking around to hang out with him at the most inopportune times…

“i think we deserve this, matt.” jackson’s voice took on a more genuine tone, his eyes growing softer, and matt wholeheartedly agreed. he was sick of the violence all the time, constantly having to watch his back and search out things that wanted to kill him. for now, they could rest. he reaches over, linking his hand with jackson’s, whose familiar smile came back immediately.

“you’re right. but, why in the  _ hell _ did you need to wake me up so early?” matt asked, eyes flicking over to the blinds, where light was hardly surfacing through. jackson raised his eyebrows again.

“to make the dang turkey, matt!” jackson hurriedly jumped off of him, almost falling onto the plush black carpet and racing out of the room. matt snickered to himself, throwing an arm over his burning eyes.

“ _ i better hear you getting out of bed! _ ” jackson’s voice called from the hall, and matt let out a sigh before standing to get ready.

⧪

⃡ matt, now clad in a turtleneck and jeans, came downstairs to the interesting sight of isabella flying through the living room, carrying plenty of herbs in mason jars in her arms. her hair was pinned up and away from her face, a few flyaways sticking to her forehead. she looked as if she’d been up for a few hours already, an apron tied around her waist. her dark eyes crossed the room to matt and she smiled, cheeks rosy.

“good morning, sleepy head. it’s around 11 o’clock already.” isabella said before already flitting into the kitchen, golden wings sprinkling dust onto the ground as she floated past. ryan was already up and at em, crouched onto the carpet and seemingly fiddling with a big, plastic box in the living room. matt poked at some leftover fairy dust with his sock before following isabella, the kitchen already bathed in an orange glow and smelling tasty. upon entering, it was a bit of an organized chaos: pots and pans scattered across the room, different materials like celery and butter littered the countertops, loaves of bread and a bag of cranberries, many dish rags and a plethora of herbs from isabella dumped onto a cutting board. 

“jackson, keep an eye on the cranberry sauce, please!” isabella said with a lilt in her voice, seemingly telling him for the third time that morning. jackson, who was draped in a ‘kiss the cook’ apron, had a few strands of his hair tied up in a bun, the rest falling out around his neck.

“i told you, i got it, bella!” he glanced over at the sauce, which was boiling away, and gave a grimace at the sight. he looked back over at matt and smiled widely, doing a full 360 spin to show off his outfit.

“whaddya think? i got it at the dollar store.” he asked, earning a giggle from isabella as she began to chop some rosemary. 

“i think you look like a virgin.” matt sneered playfully, scooting past him to reach for the coffee machine. jackson scoffed, leaning back against the sink and crossing his arms. 

“i can’t believe you would say that about me!” jackson said with fake anger. “especially with a lady in the room.”

“you look like a virgin, jackson.” isabella chimed in, and matt practically cackled, pointing and laughing right at jackson’s flushed face.

“the choir has preached.” ryan’s voice came floating into the room, and matt looked over to see him holding several checkered tablecloths in his arms. matt grabbed ahold of his coffee, nodding at his friend and taking a sip despite how hot it was. 

“but, i think you look great, jackson.” ryan said with a small smile, and jackson blew him a kiss, turning back around to his current challenge in the kitchen sink. ryan stopped at matt’s side, their arms bumping together.

“good morning, buddy.” matt said as he took another sip. “whatcha got there?”

“tablecloths. jackson wanted me to decorate early, but i can’t find enough placemats that are all the same color…” ryan trailed off, shifting through them again. 

“they won’t care. it gives the table character.” he raised his coffee mug and ryan smiled, nodding along.

“true.” he glanced over at jackson, who was staring intently at something. “what’re you doing, jackson?”   
  


“i’m in charge of the turkey this year,” he said while beaming, motioning to the turkey in the sink.

“dude, have you ever, like...actually cooked a turkey before?” matt asked, an eyebrow raised. jackson shook his head, and matt and ryan looked at each other for a beat.

“nope! but, i’m following the official betty crocker recipe, so i think i’ll do just fine.” he gave an assuring smile, and matt and ryan left the kitchen giggling to themselves.

⧪

“i can’t do this!” a distressed voice yelled from the kitchen. matt, who was watching carson play tug-of-war with lego from his spot on the couch, perked up and stared into the other room. carson stopped as well, allowing lego to steal the toy away and retreat to another corner of the room. carson glanced at matt, eyebrows raised, and glanced back at the kitchen.

“everything okay?” he called out, and was met with more screaming. carson motioned for matt to follow him, and matt stood, grabbing onto his boyfriend’s hand as they cautiously went into the next room. isabella still hadn’t moved, chopping a slice of bread into numerous smaller pieces, but jackson was an utter mess. with the turkey splayed out on the counter and numerous paper towels scattered around, jackson looked to be removing the giblets, or at least trying to. his hands were coated in a gross sort of phlegm, and he looked as if he wanted to slaughter the turkey with his bare hands.

“i told you. prepping a turkey is hard.” matt motioned to the turkey, and jackson turned to him with a frown on his face. he was trying not to laugh, but carson didn’t even bother holding it in, giggling with a hand over his mouth. jackson shifted his glare to his younger brother, squinting his eyes. isabella, however, remained unbothered, humming a tune as she diced.

“carson, you try coming in here and pulling out these giblets with your bare hands!” jackson raised them for dramatic effect, and carson only laughed harder, his body leaning into matt’s and face buried in his shoulder. matt flushed, hoping his friends just thought it was the heat of the kitchen. jackson turned back to the turkey, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“i can touch rat carcasses and ectoplasm, but this is disgusting...i really don’t think i can do this.” 

and just as jackson spoke, voicing his frustrations, a puff of deep, mauve smoke popped into the center of the room, and out stepped a familiar woman. the smoke cleared with a wave of her manicured hand, dissipating and revealing her prideful expression. carson’s face lit up at the sight, his mouth dropping open in a wide grin.

“oh, jackson, i could sense your failure all the way in boston.” jackie’s voice was playful despite the obvious insult, and jackson jumped in surprise. 

“mama!” carson exclaimed, and jackie turned to him, opening her arms wide for him to lean into.

“hi, honey!” she hugged him tight with a little pat of her hand. “i’ve missed you so much.” she pulled away and her eyes went to matt, and he saw them soften a bit. 

“and matthew.” she enveloped him in a hug, her arms relaxed but firm, and matt would be lying if he said he hadn’t missed this. maternal affection was hard to come by since jackie lived so far away, always busy with some witchy activities. matt lingered for a second too long, but he knew that the only one who would notice was jackie. she spun toward jackson, and matt felt smiley all of a sudden, surrounded by familiarity. he remembered being stuck in bed for that first week, cautious and angry and defensive, going quiet whenever jackie came into the room. she had a certain energy around her, this flouncing, elegant air whenever she was around, shown through her walk and how she spoke and the way she moved her hands. matt grew to love it, just as he’d grown to love jackie like a mother.

“jackson.” she spoke with fake sternness, and jackson attempted to keep his frown before his smile broke through. he was always a mama’s boy.

“hi, mama.” he hugged her with only his elbows, hands still coated in turkey juice. “you knew i’d mess this up somehow, right?”

“yes, jackson, i did. but, i can take it from here.” she glanced over at isabella, who was staring at her with interest.

“is this your girlfriend, jackson?” she asked playfully, and jackson’s face flushed for the second time that day. before he could respond, jackie chuckled, tapping his shoulder and moving past him to confront the turkey.

“see, jackson, you just have to get past your fears.” she rolled up the sleeves of her dark grey sweater, cracking her knuckles, and was met with many winces as she thrust her arm into the turkey. jackson looked somewhat ill. she reached around for a moment, concentrated, before taking out a small bag of what was probably the giblets, plopping them onto the counter.

“see? easy as pie. by the way, have you started the pie yet?”

⧪

“trust me, ryan, i  _ know _ what i’m doing.” matt assured his friend as he grabbed ahold of two logs sitting next to the fireplace, pausing before he arranged them in a certain position. he decided to just stack them on top of each other, grabbing newspaper and placing it underneath.

“that’s not right, matt.”

“ryan, it’ll work! the newspaper will catch fire first, and then the logs.” matt motioned to them with his lighter, waving it a bit haphazardly. ryan grabbed his wrist to still him, his other hand adjusting the wood.

“it won’t go anywhere. here, look-” ryan shoved him lightly, causing matt to fall back and glare, but he watched anyway. “you have to make a sort-of tent with them. this lets the smoke go up.” ryan made sure the logs wouldn’t fall and sat back, motioning to his work with pride. matt huffed, flicking the lighter on and leaning forward.

“fine. we’ll do it  _ your  _ way since mine didn’t have enough ingenuity for you.” matt shifted on his feet, reaching toward the log to light it, when another puff of smoke and flame appeared in the living room. matt screeched, startled, and ryan pulled him back from the fireplace, the two of them falling backward onto the carpeted floor. looking up, they both could see that harrison had arrived, teleporting into the room in a dapper black suit. he adjusted the wrists of his suit jacket, staring smugly down at the boys.

“harrison has arrived, everyone.” he announced in the third-person, though matt was not pleased.

“your arrival almost killed me! i could have lit myself on fire, dickwad!” he attempted to kick at harrison’s leg, but harrison merely stepped aside a few inches, unimpressed.

“oh, shut up, you’re fine.” harrison’s slitted eyes went to the fireplace, frowning. he snapped his fingers and aimed two of them at the logpile, which immediately lit up in a pleasant glowing blaze. matt and ryan stared dumbfounded while harrison simply laughed, the mocking one he always seemed to use at their expense.

“why do we even bother?” matt asked ryan, who just shook his head in disbelief.

meanwhile, as carson was returning to the kitchen with some mini marshmallows for the casserole, he was met by a mini explosion of white powder being flung at his face. carson sputtered, almost dropping the bag, and he could hear the high-pitched laughter of jackson across from him. carson scrubbed at his face, his hand coming back with sprinkles of flour on the pads of his fingers. 

“dude!” carson exclaimed, but was met with more laughter, now on the other end of the stick. 

“you laughed when i was under extreme turkey stress. it’s only right that i get you back somehow.” jackson was probably about to gloat some more, but carson simply threw some flour back at him, snickering at the disgusted face jackson made. jackson was reaching into the bag again, ready for an all-out flour battle, when jackie raised her free hand.

“ah. not here, boys. jackson, you need some rest from the kitchen anyways.” isabella watched them go, lightly pushing each other and snorting as they left. it was funny how jackie still treated them like kids, ushering them from the room if it was causing her a little too much stress. the kitchen was now filled with the sound of isabella and jackie working close together, as well as some tunes from the 50’s playing on the radio.

“so, isabella,” jackie piped up, causing isabella to look over, “how has jackson been lately? i haven’t been able to check in much.” isabella was surprised by the question, but answered anyway.

“he’s been good! working hard on new potion recipes and things like that.” she reached over and grabbed the bag of mini marshmallows, opening it up. “always worried about his brother. but, that’s normal.” she watched jackie smile and nod, rolling out a pie crust with her rolling pin.

“he’s always been that way, ever since he was a kid. always concerned with the family. every time carson was sick, jackson seemed to be more of a parent than i was. always bringing him soup and potions he made himself. he has a big heart.” jackie spoke fondly of her sons, her voice growing into a softer tone, and the words made isabella’s chest feel warm and bright. she could always tell that jackson cared a lot about his family, including matt and ryan and herself. hearing that jackson had been like that, even when he was growing up, made isabella beam.

“definitely. he’s very sweet. always puts everyone first.” she moved a piece of hair behind her ear, looking through the small window and into the living room, where ryan and jackson were fiddling with the tv.

“that’s what worries me. i wish he’d take time to care about himself, y’know? i never want him to get hurt.” jackie sighed, setting down her rolling pin.

“that’s why you have us, miss tucker,” said isabella as she turned to face her. “we keep jackson safe while you’re not around.” jackie smiled tenderly at isabella’s words, her eyes sparkling.

“thank you. that means a lot to me, isabella.” a knowing moment passed between them, a formation of a bond, and isabella nodded.

“of course. someone’s gotta make sure he doesn’t blow himself up on accident!”

⧪

a duet of laughter came from the kitchen, gliding into the room like music, and matt felt warm from somewhere deep in his chest, unexplainable. the house hadn’t been this busy in quite a long time, everyone hustling and bustling and tending to their activities. he was sitting on the couch with ryan and jackson to watch the football game, even if he didn’t care much for sports. ryan and jackson did, however, cheering when matt least expected it and almost rocketing him off the couch. he would study them, how they’d get up simultaneously and look at each other with joy, giving a high-five or ryan exclaiming “dude!” and matt noticed that sometimes, when they settled back down into their chairs, matt would see jackson’s hand slip into ryan’s like it was natural. matt wondered if they even knew they were doing it, the grip of someone else’s hand just second nature. but sometimes, matt would see them look at each other, this knowing and adoring thing, and it was so personal and loving that it made him blush second-hand. he feels suddenly  _ there _ , a third wheel despite the lack of labels, and he’s searching the room for carson. just in time, carson trots down the steps, now wearing a green sweater and a small smile on his face. matt’s eyes meet his and the smile grows wider, carson immediately gravitating to where his boyfriend sits on the couch.

“hey, mattie.” carson reaches out, stroking his hair and letting the blond threads run between his fingers. matt’s eyelids flutter a bit, keening into carson’s touch and looking up at him with warmth.

“hey, cars’. what’s up?” 

“nothin’ much. dinner’ll be done in, like, an hour or so.” his hand continued to stroke at matt’s scalp, and matt was already sleepy without the tryptophan. 

“sweet.” he cocked his head, studying carson’s features. “there’s flour on your face. looks like snow.” carson looked down at him, flushing, and giggled as he scrubbed at his face. matt thought it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

“ _ that  _ would be jackson. man, i thought i got rid of this stuff.” carson pulled his hand away and looked up at the window, moving the curtain aside. “speaking of snow, it’s snowing outside.”

matt sat up, turning to look through the window, and surely enough, a soft sprinkle of snow fell against the sunset. he looked back at carson, who was staring with interest, and an idea came to mind.

“do you want to go outside?” he asked, and carson nodded, moving across the room to get his coat. matt, who was perpetually cold nonetheless, didn’t bother to grab a coat and waited for carson to put on his shoes.

“have fun outside, lovebirds.” jackson sneered, and ryan chuckled into his side, wrapping an arm around him. the sight was soft, bringing that warm feeling to matt’s chest again, and he pretended to roll his eyes in annoyance.

“whatever, dude.” matt turned to carson, grabbing hold of his warm hand and following him out into the evening. the skyline was red-orange, white clouds dimming the brightness of the setting sun, the environment framed by bare, black trees. matt looked up at the grey sky, the flurry of snow falling on his sweater and skin, and watched the flakes melt as soon as they made contact. he looked over at carson, who was attempting to catch snowflakes on his tongue, a grin on his face. he glanced over at matt, his smile infectious, the snowflakes a contrast to his dark brown hair. matt smiled, the kind of smile where the corner of your eyes tear up and you feel the happiest you’ve ever been.

“you’re so beautiful.” matt mumbles out, not sure if it was intentional, and he takes pleasure in how carson’s face goes bright pink. he squeezes matt’s hand, and warmth travels through his fingers.

“thank you.” he toes his foot around in the snow, making small circles. “i know it’s, like, cold outside and kinda grey, but the holidays always make things more...warm? brighter? everything feels good, i guess.” 

“i think so too.” matt is about to let something go, and he hopes it won’t make the conversation too heavy. “it’s...it feels nice. it’s hard to remember what all the thanksgivings and christmases were like with my family. and it’s not like i can go and see them, y’know?” he feels like he’s rambling, but carson is staring at him with a certain look, and matt knows he’s being listened to. 

“you guys aren’t my blood or anything, but...it still feels like family.  _ my  _ family. like, everybody cares about each other and makes sure that things are okay, and everyone is happy, and…” matt trails off then, because he feels like he might start crying if he says anything else. his limbs feel cold. carson turns so he’s facing him instead of the sunset, his dark eyes shiny with something matt could only describe as adoration. he grabs at both of matt’s hands, holding them in his own, and matt notices that his nose is bright red.

“we _are_ your family, matt. always. and i’m really glad we get to spend this thanksgiving together.” he cocks his head, smiling back at matt. “it’s nice seeing you so happy. everything has been so...scary. it’s nice to have a break.” when carson says this, matt only thinks of remeir and everything that happened to them last month. taking a shower and seeing the numerous scars on his skin, the texture unnatural. waking up with more night terrors than before, crying in a cold sweat with twisted sheets. the two puncture wounds on his neck, burning at random hours of the night, and matt staring out his window in fear that remeir would somehow come back for him. but then, he looks into carson’s eyes and sees the love on his face, and he’s brought back to reality. it’s thanksgiving, and it’s snowing outside, and the sun has set, and matt is in love with carson. he doesn’t reply, instead leaning in and connecting his lips with his boyfriend’s, hands clasping carson’s tightly. it’s soft and sweet, a moment of calm in between everything else, and matt savors moments like these. it seems like all of the sound has been drained from the world, just the closeness of matt and carson and shared breath. matt doesn’t know how long it’s gone on for, but when he hears someone calling carson's name, he breaks away and his lips feel warm. they look up to see jackie coming toward them, wearing a fluffy scarf and mittens. 

“hi, boys!” her leather boots crunch through the snow until she stops in front of them, and matt takes it as his cue to leave. 

“hi, jackie. we were just heading inside.” he motions to the front door, and jackie nods.

“that’s okay! i just wanted a word with carson.” matt glances at carson, giving his hand one last squeeze, before he waves and walks back toward the house. jackie looks out at the trees, seemingly deep in thought.

“what is it, mama?” carson asks, shoving his hands into his pockets to try and keep warm. jackie shrugs, observing the stars peeking out in the night sky.

“nothing, sweetheart, i just wanted to talk to you.” she looks back at him, and in an instant, carson knows what she’s going to say. 

“what is it?” he repeats anyway. jackie attempts to find the words before she continues.

“jackson told me about the cemetery. i was wondering why your hair looked like that.” she points to his head, where a few of the strands have been turned white. “i hoped to  _ god _ herself that it wasn’t some new fashion trend.” carson chuckled at the words, fluffing up his hair.

“no, definitely not.” he paused. “i’m sorry i didn’t tell you. it was such a big thing that i...i got distracted, i guess.” he bit his lip, staring at the ground.

“it’s okay, carson. it’s a hard thing to discuss, even if your mom is a witch. and…” she looks off into the woods, pursing her lips. “and i probably should have told you that this might come along.” carson stared up in surprise, blinking.

“wait, this is a thing?”

“unfortunately, yes. your great grandfather had it. and, of course, i was a fool to think it may have died out somewhere along the line. i should have told you that it was a possibility.” jackie looked genuinely sorry, and carson went to tell her it was fine, but she didn’t stop there. “i just...you never really wanted to be born into this, ever since you were a kid. and it’s not like you hated magic, but you didn’t want the implications. the danger. and this almost seems worse.”

jackie sighed, fidgeting with the sleeves of her sweater.

“i feel like i failed you, carson. and ever since jackson told me, it  _ scares  _ me to think about how you’re doing this on your own, that you’re the only one who can see these things. it’s unfair to you. i didn’t do my job as a parent.” she looks so sad that carson feels a twinge of hurt in his ribs, and he stops her in her tracks.

“that’s not true, mama. with that many generations skipped, there’s no way you could’ve known i would get it. you didn’t fail me at all.” he says, but she doesn’t look sure. “plus, i don’t mind magic. i still work with jackson on a lot of things.” she smiles fondly.

“i’m sure he likes working with you alongside him.”

“he does! and...yeah, this whole ghost thing can be scary sometimes, but i’ve helped a lot of people. i keep jackson and matt and ryan safe. i can help the good ghosts cross over, and i can exorcise the bad ones. i don’t think this is a curse.” carson looked back up at his mom, and to his surprise, she was crying. the sight struck him, the feeling of seeing a parent cry always something rare but pitying. he reached out for her on instinct, and she held him close, as if he might slip away from her fingers if she didn’t hold on tight enough.  
“i’m so proud of you.” her voice was but a whisper, trembling but happy. carson felt his eyes welling up too, and he closed them, breathing in the familiar scent of home.

“i’m proud of you too, mama.” they hugged in the snowy dark for a while, not speaking and watching their breath mist in the air. carson was glad his mom had come to the house for thanksgiving, and he planned on inviting her to every holiday in the future from now on. jackie finally pulled away and so did carson, sniffing and rubbing at his face.

“why don’t you say we go check on the food, carson?” she suggested, and he nodded, following her into the house as he tracked across the crunchy snow. carson was lost in thought for a moment, staring at his feet, before his head picked up and he raised his eyebrows.

“wait, who’s cooking if you’re not in the kitchen?”

carson was particularly surprised to see that isabella was not in the kitchen, but jackson and harry, who were arguing over what ingredients to use.

“i don’t know if you think this is the holiday baking championship, but we don’t have a chef’s blow torch, harrison!” jackson raised his hands in alarm, and harry shook his head, crossing his arms.

“don’t use my full name.”

“harrison isn’t even your real name! it’s some kind of latin garbage-”

jackie stood between them, rolling her eyes.

“alright, boys. what’s going on?” she asked, and jackson rolled his eyes.

“harrison wants to make some kind of dessert, milly, mil-”

“mille-feuille. it’s french.” harrison interrupted matter-of-factly, tapping his nails against his arm. “i finished the pumpkin pie already. jackson just stood there and complained the whole time.” jackie turned to jackson, who was looking away.

“jackson, don’t be so hard on him.”

“he’s a demon, mom.”

“so?”

jackie peered around harrison, looking at what he had prepared, and gasped. turning back to jackson, she pointed at the dessert.

“have you even  _ seen  _ this, jackson? it looks delicious!” she turned to harrison, poking at his arm. “where did you learn to bake?” harrison flushed, the one time the group had ever seen him actually humbled.

“i have a lot of free time when i’m not on the job. satan seems fine with it.” he shrugged and jackie giggled, smacking his arm.

“oh, you’re too much!” she turned to jackson, snapping. “cast a flame spell. either that, or buy harrison a mini blow torch for christmas.”

⧪

attempting to find seven chairs for the table was difficult, with people running around the dining room to put dishes on the table and going up and down the basement steps to see if there was anything in storage. among all the chaos, carson had put his coat back on, slipping into his shoes, wet from snow. he went into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of turkey, a roll, and a bit of harrison’s dessert before going through the back door. he crunched across the snowy-grass, walking until he’d reached the edge of the forest, where a wrought-iron fence stood. he felt the back of his neck go cold, his eyes turning white, and he looked up to see a man with shards of glass sticking out of his neck. his face was pensive, looking at carson with a piercing stare, and carson stared down at his feet, swallowing hard. he always felt nervous at graveyards ever since that night.

“annabel?” he called out, and he could hear movement almost instantly, the sound of fabric whipping in the wind. carson looked up again, and the man had turned away, annabel in his place. her wings stretched out, brushing against the snow on the ground, and a warm smile was on her face. carson grinned back at her, walking over and putting the plate on a small column.

“i brought you some food! i felt bad that you couldn’t come inside with us, so…” he just shrugged, and annabel nodded in thanks. he watched her for a moment, how she studied the food.

“wait...you can eat food, right?” he asked, and she shook her head. carson blinked, sighing, his hands going back into his pockets.

“crap, i’m sorry. i thought maybe you could have some.” he watched her shrug, giving him a look that said, ‘ _ i can try _ .’ he just smiled, staring at his feet.

“i’ve been talking to jackson, still. about the spell.” annabel nodded. “i just feel bad that you’re out here all the time. you do so much nice stuff for me and i can’t do anything for you.” he frowned but annabel reached out, brushing his hair out of his eyes, and he felt small, like a kid again. there were no words spoken, but he could tell what she meant by her eyes, that she protected carson because she  _ wanted  _ to, not because she had to. 

“i mean...maybe when it gets warm again, we can all hang outside? that way you don’t have to be alone?” carson suggested, and annabel nodded in agreement. “cool.” he glanced back at the house, and back to annabel.

“i gotta go back inside. i’ll talk to you tomorrow.” he smiled and wrapped his arms around his friend, who hugged him tightly, like she could save him from every bad thing he’d come across in this world.

⧪

matt sipped his beer, wincing at the bitter taste. the game was in the third quarter, and ryan was studying the screen intently, chewing on the corner of his lip. isabella and jackson were dancing in the kitchen to some 50’s tune, jackson belting out the words and isabella leaning into his shoulder to laugh. carson had returned from outside, talking with harry on the stairs about something while jackie was giving lego a bone she’d brought with her. everyone was doing their own thing, enjoying the festivities around them, and it brought some joy to matt’s heart. he glanced over at ryan, who was surprisingly looking up at him.

“you’ve been having a good time, right?” matt asked, and ryan nodded, taking a swig of his beer.

“yup. the house hasn’t been this packed in, like, forever. and for once, i’m not so anxious about it.” the smile on ryan’s face was genuine, and matt clapped his shoulder, beaming.

“i’m proud of ya, dude.” matt admitted, and his hand lingered there as they stood in comfortable quiet, soaking in the sounds and smells of the busy house. matt felt so lucky to know ryan, to spend only a year of his life with the guy but know almost everything about him. ryan was the one he could talk to about the past, climbing into his bed every time he had a nightmare or crying at 2 am about how his scars were aching and he didn’t know why. and ryan could trust matt too, talking about how he sometimes didn’t feel good enough or felt so anxious it was like his lungs had been slashed apart. they were a pair, best friend soulmates if you will. 

“y’know, matthew, i’m proud of you too. it’s about time you’ve been given room to breathe.” he looked over at matt, and his shown with genuity, his smile bright and warm. everyone had been smiling at matt a lot lately, and he couldn’t deny that it felt good.

“thanks, buddy.” matt replied, and he hoped ryan could hear the thankfulness in his voice. they were interrupted by a snapping sound, and they both turned around to see jackie looking at them.

“boys! wash your hands! dinner is ready.” she motioned to the bathroom and ryan chuckled, following matt to the sink.

  
  


“was she always like that when you lived there?” ryan asked, and matt slipped his hands under the warm water, pumping some pink soap into his palm.

“what do you mean?”

“just...so...motherly, i guess.” ryan said with a shrug, the two scrubbing their hands simultaneously. matt nodded.

“yeah. the weird part is, it never bothered me. like, i always thought i’d hate having someone look after me all the time, but i don’t really mind it at all. she feels like an actual mom to me.” matt said fondly. of course, he’d never forget his real mother, the one who’d watched over him for his childhood. he has faint memories that come rushing back when he least expects it, stopping him from what he’s doing; his mom caressing the hair back from his face when she thought he was asleep, being scolded for not washing the dishes, trying to help her garden in the backyard when he was really just ripping up tufts of grass. he misses her, truly, but he knows there’s no way he can go back to his family. they lowered him into his casket, crying over his grave with wilted orchids under a grey sky. they saw his dead body, felt his cold skin. going back to them would just give them a heart attack. and, to be honest, matt didn’t even know if his parents were still alive. he didn’t like thinking about it. 

“that’s nice. my mom always felt more like a friend, not a parent. and that’s fine! it’s just...weird being in this kind of environment. a good weird.” he flicked excess water off of his hands and dried them with the towel, matt following suit.

“i mean, you’ll probably be seeing a lot more of her. she misses her kids.” matt motioned outside of the bathroom, where jackson and carson were walking into the dining room.

“that’s good. i wanna get to know her.” ryan said with a smile, and the two padded into the dining room where everyone else sat. the large wooden table was laid out with tons of dishes: cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casserole, cornbread, pumpkin pie, mille-feuille, and finally, the turkey. matt almost felt his mouth watering, thankful that his stomach could still process human food. he spotted carson on one end, tapping the seat next to him, and matt sat down next to his boyfriend.

“hey.” carson greeted, hand brushing against matt’s arm, and matt grinned back at him.

“hey.” he replied, instantly feeling warm from the heat radiating off of carson. as someone who was always cold, carson was a much-needed heat lamp for matt to use. ryan, jackson, isabella, harrison, and jackie had all finally sat down, looking over at the foods prepared for them.

“everyone dig in!” jackie motioned to the food, a grin on her face, and they were quick to listen, grabbing their plates and picking out what they wanted. matt felt carson’s hand sneak under the table, his fingers pressing against matt’s palm, and he grabbed onto him, their fingers entwining. matt could look out the window at the light snowfall, the dark blue night contrasting with the golden light of the house, the tablecloth marked with little cartoon turkeys. matt glanced around at his friends, engaging in conversation about things they’d done that week or about how good the food was, and matt, for once in his life, felt like he had found his real family.

**Author's Note:**

> please tell me what u thought!! happy thanksgiving to everyone reading this, please stay safe!


End file.
